Explanation: At the start of the US Civil War, both sides (some far-sighted individuals like Grant and Sherman aside) thought it would be a quick and relatively bloodless affair. The two sides would clash in a storm of gunpowder and battle cries, a few casualties would be had, and then one side or the other would turn over and compromise rather than continue. A bit of excitement, more than anything!

For this reason, not only did many young men eagerly enlist into military, but many civilians even came along to picnic and watch the first great clash of the war - the First Battle of Bull Run.

... it was not nearly so bloodless an affair as they imagined, and the war would go on for four painful years of industrialized warfare.

It's crazy that women wore those un-fitting hats unironically